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Léon Degrelle
|branch= * Heer * Waffen-SS |serviceyears= 1941–45 |rank= Standartenführer |unit= 28th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Wallonien |battles= World War II * Eastern Front |awards= Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves | spouse = 1) Marie-Paule Lemay (married 1932, lived 1911-1984) 2) Jeanne Brevet Charbonneau (married 1984-1994, his death, lived 1922-2014) |laterwork= * Leader of the Rexist Party * Círculo Español de Amigos de Europa |religion= Roman Catholic | issue = 6 (5 daughters, 1 son) }} Léon Joseph Marie Ignace Degrelle was born 15 June 1906 and died 31 March 1994 at the age of 87. He was a Walloon Belgian politician and a collaborator of the National Socialist German Workers' Party. He was also the founder of Rexism and he joined the Waffen SS later on and became a leader of front-line troops in German combat operations against the Soviet Union. After World War II, he became a prominent figure in Fascist movements. Military record Promotions: * 12 February 1942; Gefreiter (Heer) * 28 February 1942; Oberfeldwebel (Heer) * 1 May 1942; Leutnant d. R. (Heer) * 1 June 1943; SS-Obersturmführer d. R. der Waffen-SS * 1 January 1944; SS-Hauptsturmführer d. R. der Waffen-SS * 1 April 1944; SS-Sturmbannführer d. R. der Waffen-SS * 1 January 1945; SS-Obersturmbannführer d. R. der Waffen-SS * 20 April 1945; SS-Standartenführer d. R. der Waffen-SS :Degrelle was promoted directly to SS-Brigadeführer and Generalmajor der Waffen-SS d. R. by Heinrich Himmler on 2 May 1945; an entry to this effect appears in his Soldbuch, however this promotion cannot be considered official as Himmler had been stripped of all SS and Party posts by Führer order on 28 April 1945. Decorations & awards: * 22 August 1944 Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht * 27 August 1944 Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes as SS-Sturmbannführer d. R. and Kdr. 5.SS-Freiwilligen-Panzer-Brigade "Wallonien" / Kampfgruppe Wagner / Armee-Abteilung Narwa / Heeresgruppe Nord, Northeastern Front * 20 February 1944 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes as SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer d. R., and Führer SS-Sturmbrigade "Wallonien" / 8.Armee / Heeresgruppe Süd, Eastern Front * 9 October 1944 Deutsches Kreuz in Gold as SS-Sturmbannführer d. R. and Kdr. 5.SS-Freiwilligen-Sturmbrigade "Wallonien" / 5.SS-Panzer-Division "Wiking" / III.(germanische) SS-Panzer-Korps / Armee-Abteilung Grasser / Heeresgruppe Nord, Northeastern Front * 25 May 1942; 1939 Eisernes Kreuz I. KlasseThomas 1997, p. 111. * 3 March 1942; 1939 Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse * 14 September 1944; Nahkampfspange III.Stufe (Gold) * 19 March 1944; Nahkampfspange II.Stufe (Silber) * 30 November 1943; Nahkampfspange I.Stufe (Bronze) (other documents indicate 23 December 1943 and 20 February 1944) * 25 August 1942; Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen in Silber * 19 March 1944; Verwundetenabzeichen, 1939 in Gold * 20 February 1944; Verwundetenabzeichen, 1939 in Silber (another document indicates 23 December 1943) * 15 August 1942; Medaille "Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42" (Ostmedaille)Mike Miller. , 10 June 2005) References Category:Waffen-SS personnel Category:Rexist Party politicians Category:Christian fascists Category:Belgian fascists Category:Belgian anti-communists Category:Belgian propagandists Category:SS-Standartenführer Category:Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts Category:Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves